


I've Got This Place

by sunshineflying



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cisgirl Harry, Cisgirl Louis, F/M, M/M, Niall-centric, Past Niall Horan/Zayn Malik, cisgirl Liam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-16 11:32:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4623777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A combination of two prompts from the Niall-centric exchange --</p><p>Niall is the most eligible bachelor in their little sleepy seaside town, which is all well and good except he's not looking to settle down. Sure, every girl in town wants him, but only Louise, Harriet, and Lia are brave enough to approach him. Still haunted by his past, Niall insists on pushing them and everyone else away -- but how long can that really last?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Got This Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bisousniall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisousniall/gifts).



> I want to thank my prompter [Katie](http://bisousniall.tumblr.com/) for her wonderful ideas! I had some great thoughts to work with and ended up combining two of her ideas to create this fic that became much larger than I'd planned. I hope you enjoy, love! xx
> 
> I'd also like to thank [Shannon](http://broken-drums.tumblr.com/) for her amazing last-minute beta help. You really helped out both myself _and_ my usual beta, who's at a rough spot in life right now. Thank you so much for all your suggestions and help.
> 
> Thank you as well to the mods at the [Niall Exchange](http://niallexchange.tumblr.com/) for coordinating this whole thing. It was so enjoyable!
> 
> Thanks as well to anyone who might have helped me with plot or ideas along the way! I had a great time in this fest and I hope you enjoy the fic!
> 
> (title from Hopeless Opus by Imagine Dragons)

Niall’s never needed much; life by the sea is rather fulfilling in itself. He’s worked his way up from a small shack on the shore to having a full houseboat just for himself. It’s docked at the end of the longest pier in town - only one of two - and for the most part, Niall loves his seclusion. He gets to go out on the seas whenever he wants, and he’s always got a home when he reaches shore.

It’s a small town of course, and Niall’s only been there for nine months or so, but he’s already become the most eligible bachelor without even trying.

First off, he’s a foreigner. Suffice it to say that small towns on the western side of England don’t see many Irishmen coming in for more than a day or two.

Second, he’s a mystery. Niall, having left a lot back in Ireland, chose not to be as outgoing as he’d been in the past. He’s cheery anytime he’s in town bartering or selling his fish from a recent excursion, but otherwise he keeps to himself. People speculate as to why, but nobody truly knows.

Naturally, being foreign and a mystery means that every girl in town wants him. At twenty-eight, he’s a hot commodity. He’s new, and he’s far more attractive than any of the native men. Niall’s hair is sandy brown, bleached nearly blonde by sun whenever it peeks through the thick English clouds overhead, and he’s got a bright smile and sparkling blue eyes. Whenever the girls in town sight him, they’re all sure he fancies them. He’s kind to everyone, even if he is a bit of a hermit.

It helps as well that he’s the best dressed fisherman they’ve ever seen, with his striped shirts and messenger hats. He dresses casually but far better than any other man in town. It tends to bother the locals.

The local men, that is. Because all the girls love him, even if they’ve never met him, and that drives those men mad. Niall’s oblivious to all of it.

There’s only been one group of girls brave enough to venture out onto the pier to watch him a little closer, and that bravery is 99% Louise Tomlinson - her friends follow her fearlessly into anything – and 1% her friends. Most girls just ogle from a distance if they’re fortunate enough to be proximal to Niall.

Louise Tomlinson is the talk of the town, but for reasons opposite Niall. She’s not well known for good reasons - it’s no secret that she enjoys a good shag. Lou constantly complains about the conservative feel of their small town. She’s not quite a slag but she’s had her fair share of the men in town, so in the end only her friends Harriet and Lia had stuck around.

Lou says she’s better off without the rest of the girls in town, anyway.

She’s always been the toughest girl - the biggest extreme in nearly every category as far as girls in town are concerned. She’s the sexiest young woman, the biggest tomboy, the most promiscuous, but at times she’s still the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet.

As far as genuine sweetness goes, however, nobody is sweeter than Harriet Styles, best friend of Louise since nursery school. Their mums grew up as friends so naturally the two of them became best friends as well. Lou might be a couple years older than Harri, but they were meant to be the same age, they’re sure of it.

Harri is gangly and tall, and she’s always being kind to those around her. She’s goofy and polite and follows the rules. Many would call her Lou’s conscience, but Harri would disagree. Lia is the most moral out of the three of them, with Harri close behind.

Lia is the newest friend in their group, and it was a big to-do in the town when she arrived because very rarely did their town welcome new people. In fact, the town had been shrinking in recent days because the only business they really had was fishing. But Lia’s dad was a great fisherman and her mum opened a small restaurant specializing in the best homemade fish recipes, so they made a living off the only thing the town had left.

Lia hadn’t liked it much at first but Lou and Harri helped her feel much more at home. Sometimes Lia would talk about going off to uni, but in the end thought staying home and starting a family was better suited for her. Lou had no plans to do the same and wanted desperately to escape their sleepy town.

They were an infamous group of friends; they were always known to be near Niall but not close enough to catch his attention, and they were also known for being the life of the party. Lia told the best stories about life in London - a sure way to intrigue anyone in their small town - while Harri befriended everyone and Lou periodically disappeared upstairs when she was drunk enough to think the local guys were hot.

But Niall was different to them, and he had Lou seriously considering skipping some parties she said they’d attend in order to speak to Niall. She’d learned what sort of weather kept him docked by the pier and planned to take advantage of poor weather whenever she could.

But as much as the girls thought they were being inconspicuous, they were greatly mistaken. Niall had been pretending that he hadn’t noticed the teenage three girls who always seemed to be reading on the pier, but it was difficult to continue doing that because they were gorgeous. There was the tiny one who acted so boisterous and loud that Niall was sure she had a big personality to compensate for how tiny she was.

Whatever her name was, she had light brown hair that was wispy and never quite contained in whatever hat or beanie or ponytail she decided to use to try to keep it out of her eyes. It always looked soft and he yearned to touch it, but her bright blue eyes held a hint of danger and Niall wasn’t going to put himself out there when danger loomed ahead as a distinct possibility.

The other two girls that were always with the tiny one were just as intriguing even if they were far quieter than their tiny counterpart.

There was the tall one - admittedly she was Niall’s favorite - her hair was curly and dark and her green eyes were so inviting. Plus, she was brave enough to smile and wave at Niall whenever they’d catch each other’s gaze. She had gorgeous dimples and a perfect pearly white smile, and Niall had to be careful because several times he’d come close to speaking with her, something he swore he wouldn’t do in this new place. He didn’t want to get close to people, no matter how nice they were. Nice could sometimes be dangerous, as he’d learned, so he steered clear of her as well.

The last girl - brown hair and brown eyes and a timidness about her - she was the one Niall knew the most about. Her name was Lia and Niall had worked with her dad many a time. They shared tips, Lia’s father gave Niall fishing advice, and he also had been brazen enough to talk Lia up as a brilliant, kind, and very available young woman.

But Niall just couldn’t bring himself to go out into town and date so he just watched from afar as all the girls in town tried to catch his eye. None did as well in their efforts as Lia and her two friends, but Niall knew better than to get involved with someone again.

Life as a fisherman was meant to be solitary, after all.

He’s not surprised in the least when he sees the girls approaching one cloudy afternoon. Niall’s prepping his boat for the storm that’s brewing; he’s got to firmly attach it to the dock, anchor it in place, and ensure that he has enough clothing, food, and water in his pack to keep him until the storm passes. He’ll have to kip on shore during the storm – he’d learned the hard way that a house boat is no place for a person during a big storm.

Dark, tumultuous clouds loom far in the distance, but it won’t be long until they crash upon the shore.

The short brown haired girl is alone this time. She’s chattering on the phone, presumably to one of her best friends, about a recent football match. She’s purposely stepping in every puddle from the previous night’s light rain that puddled along the uneven dock. Her ratted black canvas shoes look soaked, but she seems happy enough even as the wind blows her skirt high upon her thick thighs. She’s got a simple navy blue rain jacket on her upper half but the hood is down and her hair looks damp, like she’s showered or just walked underneath a raincloud.

“No I didn’t Lia, but I have to go,” she says as she glimpses Niall watching her. She rings off as soon as she’s finished talking and pockets her phone.

This girl looks determined as she walks down the dock toward Niall, who has stood and turned to face her properly. It’s clear that she’s coming to talk to him, and he’d expect nothing less from such a headstrong girl.

“Hi.”

It’s a rather plain beginning for a girl who seems to love attention; Niall’s taken aback by the greeting.

“Hi,” he replies. “You lost or something?”

She smiles sweetly, one hand toying in her floral skirt underneath her rain jacket and her other hand tucks some loose strands of her wispy caramel-coloured hair behind her ear. “No, I’m not lost. I came looking for you, actually,” she confesses.

“Me?” he laughs, tossing a thick rope around a post on the dock. “Why me?”

She walks a little closer, her shoes squishing with each step from all the puddles she’s walked through. “Well, I don’t know much about you and you’ve been in town for years now. Plus, I’ve never actually gone out in a boat,” she admits. “Let’s change that, because I’m bored.”

“You live on the coast and haven’t gone out on a boat?” he asks, dusting off his hands as he stands up straight. He’s just secured the rope through a hook and he’s out of breath from the task.

The girl shakes her head. “Nope.”

“What’s your name?” Niall asks, because he can tell she wants him to ask.

She looks pleased as the question finds her through the blustery air. “I’m Louise. My friends call me Lou,” she explains.

“Well Louise, what are you doing out here alone? Usually I see you out here with your friends,” he says.

She steps closer to him, close enough that she can smell the faint scent of ocean and sandalwood on him, and says, “They’re boring and didn’t want to come out when it’s raining.”

“You’d think in England they’d be used to the rain,” he jokes.

That’s when Lou really notices his accent. He’s clearly Irish; his voice is thick with it. She catches his smile, too, clean and white and perfectly aligned, like he had braces once upon a time. She finds herself wondering what his childhood was like.

“You still never answered my first question,” he says as she walks to his side to admire his handiwork in tying up the boat. “What brings you out to the docks?”

“I wanted to see you,” she confesses.

She’s so blunt and straightforward, like there’s not a single thing strange about her wanting to see him, a perfect stranger, on a rainy day. Niall’s not sure how to take it but nods politely and says, “Seems like you’ve accomplished that then, haven’t you?”

Lou nods, her wispy brown hair flying down into her face again. Her cheeks are pink, like she’s not used to a guy playing hard to get. Niall kind of likes that look on her.

Frustrated, she reaches back and ties up her hair in a messy knot with a hair binder she’d had wrapped around her wrist. Niall spots a few tattoos there and he briefly finds himself wondering how many more she has before he knocks himself out of it. She might be a fit younger girl but he’s not looking for a relationship – or anything else – at the minute.

He distracts himself by walking back onto the deck of his boat, leaving Lou to watch from the dock. Niall’s rifling through all of his fishing gear, securing any crates or coolers down as he sees angry dark clouds rolling closer by the moment, out in the distance. Lou’s still got some stray wisps of hair that are blowing in her eyes as she watches, a small smile dancing up on her pink lips.

“You really like your job, don’t you?” she shouts from the dock.

Niall’s voice is gruff as he lifts a crate and replies, “I do, yeah.”

“You’re too fit to be a fisherman, though,” Lou argues, her toes off the edge of the dock, she’s standing so close to the boat.

Niall pauses, cheeks flushed from exertion and flattery, and replies, “You’re too fit to be wandering out here husbandless, too, but I’ve kept my mouth shut about that.”

“Until now,” Lou grins. She pauses for a moment before she asks, “How do you know I’m husbandless?”

Niall points at her with his free hand as he shifts some ropes and says, “There’s no ring on your finger. Pretty obvious.”

Lou pouts as she watches Niall return to his work like it’s more important to him than she is. He’s quite handsome, she notices – his loose sun-bleached locks blowing all around his face as he adjusts his fishing hat atop his head. He’s cute even when his cheeks are flushed and he’s sweaty and smells like the sea – though perhaps that’s just the type of guy Lou’s always wanted. Strong men have appealed to her, mostly so they can be rough with her in the bedroom, which is her favourite thing in the world, but also because she likes the toned muscles and the feel of them flexing under her delicate hands in order to impress her.

But Niall’s not trying to impress her. He’s simply doing his job while she stands by watching. She understands the urgency, in a way, but she thinks he should have prepared sooner. “What’s the house boat like?” she asks, trying so hard to keep conversation going.

It’s chilly and now the wind is picking up, so she wraps her arms around herself as she shouts to him through the gusts of wind. “It’s alright,” Niall replies simply.

He stands up and looks over at her. “I’d offer to show you but there’s a storm rolling in.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Lou smirks. “One day I’d quite like to see that house boat of yours.”

Finished with his work, Niall straightens and looks over at Lou, who appears to be teetering on the edge of the dock. She’s cute, curled in on herself in the cold, arms wrapped tightly around her torso. Her floral skirt blows around her soft looking thighs, and Niall’s really trying to remind himself to keep his distance.

“I’m not the marriage type,” he tells her as he secures the door to his boat and climbs back up onto the dock. “You don’t want to get yourself involved with me.”

Lou looks up at him, her bright blue eyes sparkling as she asks, “How do you know I want to marry you?”

She’s tough, and she draws a big laugh out of Niall. His laugh is warm and doesn’t mock. It’s contagious, making Lou’s smile grow wider as she watches him. He puts a hand on the center of her back to guide her back up the dock and onto land as he says, “It’s pretty obvious.”

Lou bites back a reply, instead deciding that she’s quite content walking close to Niall with his hand dancing gingerly on her back. Even in the brisk cold wind, he’s the warmth she needs as she walks back to shore. “I can do a pint with you but that’s all,” he warns her. “I’m not here to date or get married.”

“But why?” she asks with a pout.

“I’m just not,” he says as he opens the door to the pub on the shore. “D’you want a pint, or no?”

“Yeah, I’ll have one,” Lou says quickly, like she’s eager to either take what she can get, or to pester Niall more.

Instead, Niall learns that it had nothing to do with either of those things. Rather, she seems to know the building like the back of her hand because she’s dragging Niall down the corridor directly inside the doors in a manner of seconds.

Her hands gripping the lapels of his jacket, she pulls him tight to her body against the wall. He knows what she wants and he doesn’t want to give her ideas, but he’s wanted a snog for months now and Lou’s willing, so who is he to turn her down? After all, he’s only human, and having persistent attention from Lou and the other girls has really done things to him – wound him up and made him want physical intimacy again.

He slides a hand through the stray wisps of hair falling over her flushed cheeks and uses the other to grip her waist tightly. She gasps into the kiss and rolls her hips forward, desperate for more now that she’s had a taste. Niall’s caught up in the moment, reminding himself that he wants this _and_ how long it’s been since he last had this – he’s torn because he’d shag Lou, he’s that hard up, but he’s also a gentleman. Or he _wants_ to be a gentleman, rather.

She feels like deciding his fate for him, though, and before he knows it she’s pushing on a door handle behind her and they’re disappearing into the loo.

It’s a small room, and it’s made for one person at a time, so they lock the door and know they’ll have privacy. Lou pulls at his lapels again, connecting their mouths for more heated, dirty kisses. Lou rests against the wall again and pulls Niall to her. “Please,” she mutters, her lips dragging against his.

Lou’s already got a leg wrapped up around his waist, and when Niall puts his hands on her hips and slides them down over her bum, she jumps up and wraps both legs around his waist.

He’s too far gone now – definitely knows it’s time to stop but he can’t, not now. She’s rolling her hips against him and he’s getting hard, and she’s sliding her hands through his hair so tenderly. Everything he loves most – the frantic desire, the petting, the rushed kisses – it’s not something he _should_ be doing but he can’t hold back now.

Caught up in the moment, Niall starts to kiss down Lou’s neck and he really wants to kiss a mark right into her smooth, unmarred skin – he can’t stop himself from doing it, either. She moans loudly after he sucks a bruise into a tender part of her neck, and then she’s reaching down expertly to open his trousers. Lou’s fingers work over the button and zipper with practiced ease that he doesn’t question; instead he just lets her do it and before he knows it, she’s lifting her skirt and only holding him with one arm around his shoulder because the other is scooting her knickers to the side and out of the way.

“But I haven’t got -,” he protests.

“I’m on the pill,” she mutters. “It’s okay, I promise.”

And he supposes she’s an expert on her own body, especially given her expertise in unbuttoning his trousers, so he nods and she groans, “Please just do it.”

Niall’s shuddering and well aware he shouldn’t be doing this, but it’s been _so long_. Lou’s watching him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dark with lust, and he puts his weight against her, pinning her to the wall, as he aligns himself up just right.

She’s warm and tight and her moan is beautiful, even if he’s sure the whole pub just heard them. Lou’s much more pliant after that, not so desperate, like a good shag against a wall is what she needs to relax and calm down from her usual spunky, riled up self.

Now Lou’s whimpering with each thrust and pulling at Niall’s hair gently. Her hips roll in rhythm with his and Niall struggles to catch his breath because it’s truly been so long for him. His lips find hers again, their kisses lazy and riddled with moans. Niall’s lips drag against Lou’s as he breathes heavily, Lou’s head tipping back and to the side like she’s begging for more hickeys.

He can’t resist; he leans in to suck a new hickey right into her neck, dark and obvious just like the first is becoming, and that’s when Lou really starts to tremble. She tightens too, so each thrust doubles the sensation for Niall until he doesn’t think he’s going to last much longer.

All it takes is a well-timed bite on her exposed collarbone and Lou is trembling in his arms, legs wrapped tightly around his waist. When she comes, she’s so tight he can hardly keep thrusting, which does him in as well. Still half-thinking, he pulls out as much as he can just to make sure they’re as safe as they can be in their situation, and she must realize it because when she comes down from her orgasm, she’s frowning at him. “You didn’t have to pull out,” she mutters.

“It was an accident,” he lies, but he must sound convincing because she buys it, at least a little.

Niall’s already totally out of her and reaching out for some paper towels so they can clean each other off. “You made a mess of my knickers,” she giggles, holding up her fingers with his come on them as she adjusts her clothes back to where they’re meant to be.

“Sorry,” Niall laughs, holding out the paper towel.

But Lou, ever the minx, puts her fingers in her mouth instead, tasting him on her tongue. She smiles as she closes her eyes and sucks every last drop clean off her hand, and Niall feels his mouth go dry. “Don’t worry,” she says as she takes the damp towels and wipes off her thighs, “If my pill doesn’t work – which it _will_ ,” she adds when Niall looks alarmed, “I won’t come after you for money or anything.”

The line sounds rehearsed and she can’t meet his eyes, which he doesn’t know how to process. Lou wraps her rain jacket tighter around herself as Niall disposes of his own damp paper towels and zips up his trousers. She looks a mess, and the air is awkward now. “Let me get you that pint before you go, alright?” Niall offers.

“You don’t have to,” Lou says quickly. She almost seems ashamed.

“I want to. Please. It’s the least I can do.”

Lou looks fiercely at Niall, sort of like he’s trying to pay her for what they just did, and he quickly realizes. “That’s not what I meant,” he rushes to say, “I just meant… that’s why we came here, right? So like, this doesn’t change that.”

She studies him with a wary eye, like she’s expecting him to change his mind, but he’s not going to. They wander out into the main part of the pub and pretend they don’t see everyone staring after hearing what they’d just done, and as promised Niall buys Lou a pint.

They talk about Lou, mostly, which irritates her to no end, but they’re both feeling better than they did earlier and for that, Niall is grateful. The last thing he needs is to give himself a bad reputation now that he’s finally been talking to other people in town.

Niall doesn’t see Lou for days after that, and he starts to worry that maybe he messed something up by giving in to what she wanted. He keeps to himself, like usual, and doesn’t re-emerge from his boat house until he’s invited to dinner by Geoff, his fisherman friend. He wonders if that means Geoff’s daughter Lia will be around – she’s Lou’s friend, and who knows whether Lou told her anything.

He’s nervous, but he puts on his best outfit – good jeans, a striped shirt, a green jacket, and his favourite hat. When it’s time to leave, he heads out with his hands in his pockets and a rush of nerves that doubles with each passing step.

When he arrives at Geoff’s, Lia answers the door. She looks more dressed up than he’s ever seen her before; she’s wearing a floral dress, something cute and pastel coloured with short sleeves and a hem that ends just above her knees. There’s a thin black belt around her slim waist, and her hair is in a well-kept braid over her shoulder. “Hi,” she smiles.

 _She’s wearing makeup,_ Niall notices, her eyelashes longer and her lips shiny and pink. “’lo there,” he nods.

“Come in,” Lia says warmly.

She’s still smiling, which is a good sign. Niall hadn’t actually considered what he’d do if she got angry at him for hooking up with Lou. Niall steps inside, nearly crushing Lia’s feet  in the process as she stands in the doorway in her shiny black flats. She giggles and backs out of his way, cheeks flushed. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he offers. “Ever since I messed up me knee when I was younger, my balance hasn’t been quite right. Dunno why,” he says.

“It’s alright,” Lia replies. “My dad is just bringing up some fresh food for mum to make for dinner. They’ll just be a minute.”

She leads him into the cozy sitting area of their house and says, “Make yourself at home. Can I get you a drink?”

Niall feels awkward, because he wasn’t expecting Lia to be so sweet. She’s acting as though nothing happened, like he didn’t fuck her best friend just a few days before. Last he’d seen them, all three girls were vying for his attention and affection.

“Look, I dunno if Lou’s told you, but…”

“I know,” Lia says, her voice soft and tender. “She told us, and it’s okay.”

“It is?” he asks, confused.

“Yeah,” Lia nods. She doesn’t look as happy as before, though. “It’s Lou. Everyone wants her.”

Lia smiles, and Niall notices that it’s a little forced. He frowns and wishes he hadn’t brought it up. Lia’s so pretty when she’s happy. “Can I get you a drink?” she repeats.

“Oh. Sure. Whatever you have is fine,” he says as he sits down on the sofa.

Niall takes a deep breath and hopes Lia will hide her sadness when her parents are around; Niall’s working on establishing himself as a main fisherman in the city – he can’t have bad relations with local girls ruining that. He’s got to survive somehow.

Thankfully, Lia goes back to normal when her parents arrive, and she makes them all gin and tonics before disappearing into the kitchen with her mum to finish preparing dinner. “She’s quite the little homemaker,” Geoff says, nodding towards the kitchen.

He’s clearly talking about Lia – he always is. Geoff’s been hoping that Niall and Lia would get married from the moment he met him, because he wants to keep their family in the fishing business and knows that a marriage between the two would do just that, and ensure he had a good place to give his business when he dies.

It makes sense, Niall realizes, but it still doesn’t feel right. Lia’s cute, but he’s not sure if he can see a marriage between himself and _anyone_ in his future. Though if he’d make an attempt for anyone, it would probably be the Payne family.

The dinner is delicious, and to make a good impression on the Payne family Niall agrees to take Lia on a walk before he leaves. “You didn’t need to do this,” Lia says softly as they make their way out of her house and down towards the pier.

“I like going on walks,” Niall confesses. “And I’d rather have company.”

Lia sighs and wraps her arms around herself. It looks like she’s trying to protect herself, but also like she might be cold. “I told you it’s alright,” she insists. “Harri and I are used to it.”

“Used to what?”

“To everyone wanting Lou. She’s gorgeous; of course everyone notices her.”

“You’re beautiful, too,” Niall replies quickly. He means it, too.

His voice is warm and genuine, and Lia looks over in surprise. She’s never had the most self-confidence – the least out of all of her friends – and compliments are still hard for her to process sometimes. “Look, I know my dad wants us to get married, but… don’t do it for him, okay?” she says softly. “You shouldn’t be with someone for a reason like that.”

Niall looks over at Lia in the moonlight and he can see that she’s nervous. She’s so hard on herself and she’s putting up walls to try to protect herself. “I can’t lie… I’m not ready to get married. I went through some stuff, and I’m just… still getting over it,” he says. “I also don’t want to let your dad down. But…” Niall stops and looks at Lia, who’s clearly shivering now.

He takes off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders as he says, “You’re going to find someone who wants those things, and wants you because of who you are, not because of your parents. And it’s going to be beautiful.”

Lia relaxes under the warmth of his jacket and looks up at Niall through her lashes. She blushes at what he says and shakes her head. “Sometimes I don’t feel like I will,” she admits. “Everyone my age is either taken or they’re… you.”

“I hear that’s what uni is for, these days,” Niall replies warmly. “You’re young… younger than me by years. You have plenty of time.”

“I’m sorry my dad is pressuring you so much,” Lia offers.

“You’ve got no control of that, have you?” he asks, and she shakes her head. “Then don’t worry about apologizing for it. Let’s just have a nice walk and chat for a bit. And maybe he’s right – maybe one day it’ll be the right time for you and me.”

Lia shyly nods, her cheeks pink at the thought, and keeps walking at Niall’s side, grateful for his jacket. “So are you bound for uni then? What’s in the cards for your future?” he wonders.

“I mean… Lou wants me to go to uni,” Lia admits. “So she can come with me. But I don’t know if that’s what I want to do.”

She pauses, and Niall waits for more but nothing comes. “What would you rather do?” he presses.

Lia sighs and pulls the sleeves of Niall’s jacket over her hands. “I guess I’d rather do the same as my mum, kind of,” she confesses. “I want to stay home and have lots of kids to take care of. It’s so old fashioned, but…”

“I think it’s nice,” Niall smiles. “You should do that.”

Lia laughs dryly. “I doubt I’d find someone who’d let me do that… or someone who would want that,” she scoffs.

Niall thinks to himself that he wouldn’t mind it all that much, but he’s still not sure he wants to get into anything. He’d give a girl that though, if it was what she wanted. “Give it time,” is all he says, his mind racing.

They stop at the end of the pier before turning back, and a gust of wind blows the aroma of salt water and the sea up at them. It blows against Lia’s dress, rustling it around her thighs, and she shivers. “C’mere,” he says, and pulls Lia into a hug. “We’ve got to warm you up a little before the walk back, haven’t we?”

Lia’s blushing scarlet, because there’s a lot to be implied with his statement, but she lets herself wrap her arms around his waist and settle into the hug. It’s sweet, how much Niall wants to look out for her, and she finds herself wishing wistfully that he would have chosen her instead of Lou. She could see herself settling down with a guy like Niall, someone handsome and chivalrous and mysterious.

He walks with her back to her parents’ house, and then pauses on the doorstep. “I had a lovely time tonight,” she says politely.

“I did too,” he nods. “Thanks for the walk.”

“You know why we went,” she says, but laughs this time because Niall’s helped her to feel better about the fact that her parents are pressuring them into marriage. “But of course. Anytime.”

She knows she should go inside but doesn’t. Niall’s lingering leaves her hopeful. She shifts, her fingers fumbling with the sleeves of his – oh yeah, his jacket. She flushes deep red when she realizes he’s only been hanging around so he can have his jacket back. Lia pulls it off, fumbling with the sleeves as she does, and hands it back to him. Niall laughs and takes it, but doesn’t put it on.

“C’mon then, let’s have a hug,” he says, reaching out for her.

Lia looks unsure, like maybe he’s just offering for show, but the lights in her house are off so there’s nobody to impress with a gesture like that.

 She nods and steps forward, and Niall envelops her in a big, warm hug. “Come visit my little houseboat sometime,” he tells her, and kisses her forehead gently as they step out of the hug.

Lia nods and looks up at him one more time before the sea breeze reminds her that it’s late, and she’s cold. She flashes him one more smile before walking inside her house, leaving him to walk home alone.

He feels better about the girls after that day, knowing Lou told Lia and Harri and that at least Lia was still willing to talk to him. The three of them come back the day after he’s had dinner with Lia’s family, but they don’t linger like they used to. They walk by, glance at Niall once or twice, and then head back into town.

Niall notices that they do the same thing for nearly a week, and each time they do it he gets a little more disappointed. Sometimes he finds himself wishing Lia would come over and chat with him, or that Lou would acknowledge his existence past a fleeting glance, but he gets nothing.

One day while he’s feeling particularly troubled, he notices that Harri is watching him rather closely, her brow furrowed like she’s thinking awfully hard about something.

But like usual, the girls leave and he goes back to work – the job that seemed perfect and solitary but now feels incredibly lonely.

He goes into his houseboat after securing all his fishing gear. He’s ready to sail away from the dock and do some fishing when someone raps at his door. Confused, Niall wanders over to open it.

There stands Harri, her long striped dress blowing in the wind, as does her long curly hair that she’s tied back haphazardly in a headscarf. “Hi,” he says, still confused.

“Hi,” Harri smiles. “Can I come in?”

“Oh uh… sure,” Niall says, backing up so Harri can fully climb into his tiny little houseboat.

“I’m Harri,” she says warmly. “I’m friends with Lou and -,”

“Lia, yeah,” he finishes for her. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” she nods, but there’s no smile on her face. “I’m really good.”

Niall feels awkward; he’s never been alone with this girl and he has no idea what she could possibly want from him. “So… what’s up?” he asks.

She smiles, like she expected him to be confused, and she shrugs. “I wanted to visit,” she admits. “I hear you’ve gotten to hang out with my friends… I wanted a chance to get to know you, too.”

Niall flushes. He knew they all seemed to have some sort of feelings for him, but didn’t expect them to get so bold about it. “Well, make yourself at home, then,” he offers, showing her to the sitting room. It’s tiny and really just a few chairs next to the big window, but she smiles. “Can I get you anything? I’ve got… water, tea, or coffee.”

“I’ll have tea, thanks,” Harri smiles.

Niall nods and goes into his tiny kitchen space to put on a kettle. As he’s working on putting together tea for the two of them, Harri looks around his tiny living space. Over at the desk she sees a bunch of papers and is instantly intrigued. Most of them look like they’re about fishing – maps of the water and records of where his best catches were – but there’s more on the desk, too.

Harri finds one piece of paper in particular that has her intrigued. It looks like poetry, like something private, but she can’t resist and starts to read it right away.

 _My hands_  
Your hands  
Tied up like two ships

 _Drifting_  
Weightless  
Waves try to break it

_I’d do anything to save it.  
Why is it so hard to say it?_

She never would have guessed that Niall was a writer, but he’s got talent. She’s so engrossed in the words and how beautiful the meaning behind them is, that she doesn’t realize when Niall walks into the room with two cups of tea. He clears his throat and Harri slams the paper down on the desk, embarrassed that she’s been caught.

Niall looks ghostly pale, and Harri never thought that she’d see such terror in his eyes just from reading his poem. “It’s beautiful,” she offers, her voice timid and soft. “Who’s it about?”

Niall looks torn – almost like he’s going to cry – and Harri suddenly wants to sink into the ground and never be noticed by him ever again. She’s invaded his privacy far more than she’d ever intended, and she feels terrible. “I’m sorry. I’ll just…” she gestures to the door.

“Thank you.”

She freezes, unsure of what he was thanking her for – the compliment, or for offering to leave. But then he hands her a cup of tea and sighs. “I suppose I should tell someone eventually,” he says.

“You don’t have to,” Harri insists. “I shouldn’t have been poking around like that. It wasn’t my business.”

“It’s okay,” Niall sighs. “It’s a long story.”

Niall sits down in his chair, something rustic made of logs and plaid cushions, and Harri sits on the matching one on the other side of a tiny square coffee table that’s been bolted to the floor so it doesn’t fly around from the waves.

“That’s okay,” Harri replies softly. “I have time.”

Even though she means well, Niall’s sure that he won’t hear from her ever again after he tells his story. His secret is one he needs to keep hidden. He can only hope that Harri will keep the story to herself.

“It happened before I moved here,” Niall explains. “I was working at a lighthouse up north, a place me brother told me about. They needed a new keeper and I was bored in Ireland, so I took off.

“Anyway… it was okay. It was lonely sometimes, but I got to watch the waves and be by the sea and what’s better than that, you know? But then this boat washes up on shore during a storm and it looks like it’s about to sink. I rush down there and help him dock it, and it’s this bloke I’ve never seen before. It was a lot like here – we didn’t have many strangers wash up on shore.

“So after I helped him tie up his ship, he came into the lighthouse with me. He nearly caught hypothermia, it was that bad outside. So I bring him in, get him some whiskey, and we sit under some blankets to warm up. I knew body heat was a good way to warm him up, but he was also like… really attractive. I didn’t really know how to handle it at first.”

Niall looks up at Harri, ready for her to freak out over what he’d just confessed, but she didn’t say a thing. Instead, she just watched him and listened intently while sipping her tea. After a deep breath, Niall continues, “We sat up talking all night. I sang for him – did you know I always wanted to be a singer? – and he told me all about growing up in Bradford, where he’s from. He was one of the greatest blokes I’d ever met. He was gorgeous and sweet and he actually really loved my singing.”

“I want to hear you sing sometime,” Harri smiles.

Her smile puts Niall at ease, and he nods his agreement. “Okay. Deal.” He takes a sip of his tea before he keeps on with his story. “He forgot something of his out in his boat, so we went outside to go get it even though it was still raining. We both got soaked that time, and he forgot what he’d needed to begin with. But it was the middle of the night and it was rainy, so nobody was out. I just went for it and kissed him, and he kissed back. And well… you can probably guess where it went after that.”

Harri raises an eyebrow and asks, “You… really?”

Niall nods. “He was great. It was perfect. Slow and romantic and we were trying to warm up as much as we were trying to get off. Best I ever had,” he confesses, before wincing at how Harri might take it, knowing Niall’s history with Lou. “It even stormed all night, which if you didn’t know, makes a good shag even better. But then when I woke up, he was gone. All that was left of him was his sweater.”

Harri’s mouth turns deep into a frown and she says, “I’m so sorry.”

“I’ve still got it, how pathetic is that?” Niall scoffs at himself. “Even though I’ve moved – which I did because he never came back and I got this job here that I thought would bring me closer to him, since he was a fisherman – I’ve never seen him since. There are no signs of him anywhere, and none of the fishermen I’ve met know who Zayn Malik is. It’s like he never existed, but I _know_ he was real. And I know how I felt.”

He avoids Harri’s eyes, but feels better after explaining. He’s never told anyone about Zayn before. “So that’s why you don’t want to settle down with Lia? Because you miss Zayn?” Harri asks softly.

Niall nods, resigning himself to the admission that he was in love with Zayn, and he’s still not over him or his disappearance.

“That’s okay,” Harri says softly, hoping to reassure him. “I know what it’s like to love someone who you’ll never be able to be with.”

At that, Niall glances up and frowns deeply. “I’m really sorry,” he says, “I know you guys have been eyeing me up and hoping that I’d marry one of you. There’s not much to choose from here… I’m sorry I’m letting you girls down.”

“Oh no, not you,” Harri smiles. “You’re very cute, but you’re not my type.”

“I thought I was everyone’s type here,” Niall jokes.

“You are,” Harri agrees with a bright smiles, glad to see him joking around. “Except to me.”

Niall shifts in his seat and leans forward as he asks, “Alright then. What’s your type?”

“Louise.”

Harri looks at Niall bluntly, knowing he’ll understand how she feels but also hoping he doesn’t get too weird about it, since he’s slept with her and all. “She’s quite beautiful,” Niall agrees. “And quite available, if I’m not mistaken.”

Harri laughs and says, “We made out once, but she’s too fond of cocks to give me a real shot. Pardon the language.”

Niall laughs but not as heartily as before – he can tell that even though she’s joking about it and putting on a brave face, Harri really does wish she could have Lou to herself. “I think you’re not having enough faith in her,” Niall offers. “Have you ever actually told her how you feel?”

Harri flushes and shakes her head. “Of course not.”

“You should try it out,” Niall suggests. “If anyone in this town is open-minded enough for a relationship like that, it’s her.”

Harri looks unsure, but Niall smiles and says, “If it goes wrong, you know where to find me. We can whine about relationships together.”

“I dunno…” Harri begins. “You and Lia might work out one day. You both seem to want the same everything.”

Niall laughs nervously, because the thought’s been in his head ever since they went for that walk after he had dinner with her family, but it’s too soon to think about that. Zayn still feels like an open wound.

“So we’re going to be okay, then?” he asks Harri.

Harri grins, dimples deep in her shining, flushed cheeks, and she nods. “Yeah, we’ll be okay, Nialler.”

“Good,” he replies, holding up his tea in cheers.

Harri does the same, and they take a sip of their tea, finally feeling better about what lies ahead.

 

\-----

 

It only takes a week for Harri and Niall to plan an outing for them. Lou’s been distant since she hooked up with Niall in the loo, and Niall really wants to clear the air there. He also finds himself wanting to see Lia again, even though he’s still not sure he’s ready to settle down.

He’s wiping off the deck of his boat on one of the sunniest days he’s seen in England in a while when the three of them approach. It feels like before, but it’s not. They’re here for him and he knows they’re coming – he wants them to be there. “Hey ladies!” he waves from the deck as he sees them approach.

And sure, there are a few people in their sleepy, old-fashioned town who think a man his age shouldn’t be taking out three teenagers, but this feels right. It feels like they’re meant to be friends. The girls step up to the edge of the dock, Harri in front with Lia standing eagerly behind her. Lou looks a bit more hesitant – she hasn’t even dressed up this time. She’s wearing jeans and a hoodie and she’s completely without makeup. Niall worries a bit at the sight.

They wave back as he sets down his broom to go talk to them. He expertly climbs down the wooden plank that connects the deck of his boat to the pier, and he wipes his hands on his jeans, his white and navy striped shirt still clean even after all the washing-up he’d done that morning. “Good to see you guys,” he smiles. His eyes linger on Lou, who looks up but then away, like she’d rather be anywhere else.

“Oh you know what,” Harri exclaims. “I forgot the picnic basket! Lia, let’s go get it, yeah?”

They take off before Lou can even attempt to join in. Niall nervously scratches at the back of his neck as he says, “She’s not very subtle, is she?”

Lou looks up at Niall, squinting in the sunlight, wisps of hair blowing in the sea breeze. “You never called,” she says.

“You never gave me your number,” Niall replies.

Lou narrows her eyes and her lips are pursed as she breathes in through her nose, like she’s trying to calm down.

“I’m sorry,” Niall offers. “I really am. I… I should have had better self-control. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that.”

“Taken --,” Lou stammers. “You think you took advantage of me?” she asks. Niall nods, dumfounded. “You didn’t take advantage. I wanted it. I wanted _you_.”

“Want _ed_ – like, you don’t anymore?” he wonders.

Lou sighs. “Look, the sex was good but you’re not really my type,” she says quickly. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Niall says with a chuckle. “It was great, really – and you’re a beautiful girl – but we’re meant for other people.”

“I just wish you’d called, is all,” Lou explains in what she’ll later call a moment of weakness. “I expect douchebags from the next town over not to call, but you seemed like more of a gentleman.”

“I am,” Niall insists. “I swear. I just…” he sighs. “I didn’t know what I was allowed. People talk in this town.”

Lou frowns and nods. She knows full well that that’s true, too. It’s one of her least favourite things about where they live. “So why are we here?” she asks, a small smile on her lips, like all is forgiven now.

“Well, when they get back with the picnic basket, we’re going to go out on the boat.”

Lou’s eyes go wide. “Out on the sea? To fish?”

Niall laughs, warm as ever, and he shakes his head. “No, not to fish. Unless you girls want to. We’ll do it the old fashioned way, with rods and bait and stuff.” Lou looks confused and Niall laughs. “Sorry,” he says. “When I need a big catch I use crates. Those, down there,” he points to the back of his boat where there are some wire crates piled up. “Basically, the four of us are going to go out on the sea for the day, have a good time.”

“So you think we’re friends now?” Lou challenges.

Niall grins, because he’s finding Lou’s tough-girl exterior more and more entertaining by the minute. “Yeah, I think so,” he nods.

Lou opens her mouth to argue but shouting from down the pier alerts them to the return of Harri and Lia. Harri’s shouting and running down the dock, and Lia’s trying so hard to keep up whilst carrying the picnic basket and trying to stay proper. Niall’s fairly certain she got a long talk about that from her parents – making sure she looks proper and marriageable around him – but he plans to get her to relax somehow while they’re out on the sea.

“I’ll take that!” he smiles, reaching out for the picnic basket.

He carries it up onto the deck and deposits it inside, so it won’t heat up and spoil the food in the basket while they’re leaving the dock. The girls are standing hesitantly at the other end of the plank, because it’s got no rails and they’re nervous. Lou is eyeing it up like a challenge, and she practically pushes Harri and Lia out of the way so she can bolt up the board and onto the deck of the boat.

She turns to grin back at them, while they watch with slight fear in their eyes. “Did you hear it?” Harri asks. “It sounds like it’s going to fall off!”

It’s just a loose board, but Niall knows it’s steady. He’s about to say as much when he’s cut off by Lou saying, “Don’t be such girls! Just run!”

Niall wants to laugh but suppresses it, because Harri and Lia both look on with trepidation. “Here, just… take a step or two and then I’ll help you over,” he offers.

Lou rolls her eyes and walks out to the front deck of the boat, to look out at the sea and back at everything they’re temporarily leaving behind out on shore. Of the two girls left, Harri goes first, holding her long skirt in one hand and reaching out with the other. Niall takes it and helps her wobble across – she’s rather uncoordinated, he notices – but she crosses the plank safely. Then it’s Lia’s turn. She looks nervous but swallows hard like she’s steeling herself to be brave. “It’s okay,” Niall says to her warmly, and she nods, because he’s right.

“My dad’s boat is just…” she tries to explain.

“I know,” Niall smiles. “It’s new. It’s got a nice plank with railings.” Lia nods. “Here,” Niall says as he reaches out with his hand.

Lia reaches for him, her small, shiny black flats padding over the plank as she walks closer. When she’s all the way across, she smiles up at Niall, who was watching her with fierce protectiveness. “There. See? You did it,” he beams.

Lia nods and blushes furiously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oi! Hands to yourselves, lovebirds!” Lou teases as she walks back towards them. “Niall, are we going to leave or what? Spending a day on a boat is far less interesting when we’re still at the _dock_.”

“Alright then, let’s go,” he says, grunting as he pulls the plank onto the deck. He pulls the door shut on the rail of his boat and then makes his way inside.

The girls follow out of curiosity as he stands behind the wheel, starts the motor, and expertly manouvres away from the dock. He speeds up more than he normally would, just so he can show off, and doesn’t slow down until they’re out in the middle of the clear blue sea.

He really couldn’t have asked for better weather for their outing. It’s sunny and bright, and the wind isn’t too terrible. The temperatures are average for that time of year – they all need jackets – but it’s still beautiful and the girls seem to be enjoying themselves. “I want to steer now,” Lou demands, elbowing in.

Niall laughs, but he’d been expecting her to budge up and take his place. That’s why he’d sped to an open area of sea – who knows how dangerous she’ll be. The other girls watch, Lia standing back shyly whilst Harri watches on, stepping closer each time Lou brings the boat around a fast turn. “C’mon Harri, give it a go,” Lou says, scooting over a little so Harri can share the wheel with her.

So they steer the boat around a little more, their hands fumbling and brushing while they take turns pushing the wheel towards one, then the other. Niall stands out of the way, watching Lia closely. “You alright?” he asks, leaning over to talk to her privately.

“Yeah,” she smiles warmly. Her brown hair is in a braid over her shoulder and she plays with the ends as she watches Harri and Lou laughing and touching, like it’s nothing.

“D’you want to go make some tea? They’ll tire of this eventually,” he offers.

She wants to say no, doesn’t want to make it look like they’re running off together, alone, the first chance they get. But Lou and Harri don’t even notice when they make a move to walk toward the door, Lia naturally following Niall without ever actually agreeing.

The boat stills while Niall is pulling out some teacups and before he knows is, Lou is loudly making her presence known, Harri trailing behind her with a big smile on her face. “You’re making tea without me? How could you!” she exclaims, hopping right up on the counter.

Lia is setting out tea bags in each of the cups, and she likes the feeling of moving around the tiny kitchen with Niall. They orbit each other without actually touching, and her body buzzes with nervous energy every time their arms brush or they nearly collide.

Harri waits patiently for the water to boil, and Lou reaches out for her to fix her headscarf. “You have these hairs that are out of place and I need to fix them,” she says, pulling Harri toward the counter. Harri stands between Lou’s legs and lets her play with her hair, a slight blush on her cheeks.

Niall catches her eye and winks, which only makes Harri blush more.

The tea’s finally ready and Lia insists on pouring some for everyone, so while she does that Niall offers milk and sugar. They sit down to sip at their tea in Niall’s tiny living space, and it’s nice. He feels safe with these girls, even though they’re nearly ten years his junior. He realizes that he’s been so closed off to other people that he’s missed out on so many potential friendships.

He’s sort of glad Lou annoyingly eased her way into his life, bringing Lia and Harri with her. They’re sweet, and they remind him to relax and just take things as they come.

He takes them fishing that afternoon and as it turns out, Lia’s a natural. “My dad’s taken me a few times,” she admits softly as Niall helps her pull a fish off the hook and set aside for dinner.

Harri is pretty good at it as well, which is lucky because Lou doesn’t have an ounce of patience. She doesn’t understand it, or enjoy it. She mostly just likes that she can steal kisses from Harri, who waits patiently, while assuming Lia and Niall aren’t watching.

“They’re going to end up together, aren’t they?” Niall whispers. Lia nods.

They manage to separate Lou and Harri enough to make a good fish fry-up along with some snacks the girls packed in the picnic basket. They eat out on the deck as they watch the sun set, and afterwards when they’re yawning and tired from the day, Niall suggests they head back.

Harri and Lou curl up on a blanket, watching the stars overhead as the boat slowly makes its way back to shore. Lia stands, wrapped up in a jumper of Niall’s that’s at least three sizes too big, but plenty warm. She’d been shivering earlier so he stepped in, chivalrous as ever. It helps to warm her up, too, that Niall’s standing right behind her, helping her steer the boat. His arms envelop her in heat and her head sometimes tips back on his shoulder so she can admire his smile as he steers them toward land.

And sure, it’s not the life Niall swore he’d have after Zayn broke his heart, but he likes it. Lia’s sweet, and he feels comfortable with her.

In a world full of uncertainty and unpredictability, Lia feels like home, and Niall couldn’t ask for anything more.


End file.
